Fleming, Bishop Michael Anthony National Historic Person
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Fleming, Bishop Michael Anthony
© Parks Canada
Address :
172 Military Road, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2003-06-30
Life Date:
1792 to 1850
Other Name(s):
-
Fleming, Bishop Michael Anthony
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2002-47, 2002-35, 2002-072
Importance:
Radically restructured the personnel, administration and visibility of the Roman Catholic Church in Newfoundland
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Basilica of St. John the Baptist NHSC 172 Military Road, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Vicar Apostolic from 1829 and Bishop from 1847, Fleming expanded and restructured the Roman Catholic Church in Newfoundland, transforming a small mission into a full diocese. An Irish-born Franciscan and supporter of the Catholic Emancipation movement in Ireland led by Daniel O'Connell, he successfully fought for the right of Catholics to participate fully in the colonial political process. Bishop Fleming also laid the foundations of a Catholic education system, established parishes throughout rural Newfoundland, and devoted his later years to building the Basilica of St. John the Baptist.